12 Things You Definitely Shouldn’t Do on a Plane (Unless You Want Glares)

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Traveling for a vacation, a backpacking trip, or to visit relatives is fun and exciting. However, reaching your final destination can be tiring and boring. Luckily, planes make it much easier and quicker for travelers to get from A to B. In just a few hours, we can travel thousands of miles.

However, as comfortable and easy as flying is, people often neglect to tell you what you shouldn’t do on a plane. While the most obvious rules are laid out from the off-set, there are many other things you should avoid doing. Here are 12 things not to do on a plane to learn more.

Don’t Get Intoxicated Before or During a Flight

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Get Intoxicated Before or During a Flight — © Tyler Olson / Adobe Stock

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One of the things you should never do before getting on or during a flight is get intoxicated. Drinking before you get on your flight might calm the nerves and help you sleep better, but it also comes with several pitfalls, especially if you get drunk.

For starters, it’s not uncommon for intoxicated flyers to be removed from a flight before it’s taken off. Secondly, you might start feeling nauseous once you’ve taken off. Finally, heavily intoxicated passengers can come across as defiant. This can lead to banning orders and even arrests. The simple solution is to avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol before or during your flight.

Don’t Take Your Shoes Off

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Take Your Shoes Off — © Song_about_summer / Adobe Stock

This might seem harsh because there’s no greater feeling than setting your feet free on a long-haul flight. However, as comfortable as it is to take your shoes off on a plane, you shouldn’t do it out of respect for other passengers. Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us have sweaty and smelly feet after traipsing through the airport.

Therefore, taking off our shoes on the plane can be unpleasant for other passengers. The air vent blasting the odor around the aircraft makes matters worse. Furthermore, wearing no shoes is unhygienic because plane carpets and lavatory floors aren’t the cleanest.

Don’t Let Your Children Roam Free

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Another thing you should avoid doing unless you want to annoy the entire plane is letting your children run around the plane. Letting your children run around the cabin or cause havoc with their screams will likely annoy even the friendliest passengers. Many people catch up on their sleep or enjoy some downtime reading a book during flights.

If your children disturb their peace by running around and shouting, they won’t be best pleased with you. There’s also a chance your children could get hurt as the aisles on most planes are only narrow. With that in mind, we recommend keeping your children entertained in another way.

Don’t Smoke or Vape

Biggest Culture Shocks for Americans in Europe Smokers Everywhere — © gzorgz / Adobe Stock

This next must-not is super obvious, but you’ll be amazed how many times we’ve seen videos of passengers smoking or vaping on planes. On almost all airlines, smoking and vaping on planes has been banned worldwide. While it may seem harmless to have a cigarette on a plane, the consequences are pretty severe.

Smoking and vaping are banned on planes because they can affect a plane’s sensors and jeopardize its cabin pressure system, which is set to a specific air pressure level. Of course, it also leaves an unpleasant smell that other passengers don’t want to be exposed to. You can’t sneak into the lavatory to smoke, either, because most plane toilets have smoke detectors.

Don’t Recline Your Seat All the Way Back

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Recline Your Seat All the Way Back - Hua Hun Thailand — © day2505 / Adobe Stock

If you’ve ever sat behind someone on a long-haul flight who decided to recline their seat all the way back, you know just how annoying it can be, so don’t do the same thing to someone else. While plane seats are designed to go all the way back, it’s terrible plane etiquette to squash the person sitting behind you.

You can still get comfortable and recline your seat without putting the top of your seat on the passenger behind you’s lap. If you recline your seat as far as it goes, don’t be surprised if the angry passenger behind you ‘accidentally’ knees your seat occasionally to let you know they’re not happy.

Don’t Put Your Feet on the Seat in Front

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Put Your Feet on the Seat in Front — © Soloviova Liudmyla / Adobe Stock

Similarly, you should avoid putting your feet on the seat in front of you. I’ve never entirely understood this one, but many passengers don’t see a problem with putting their feet on the top of the seat in front of them. Some passengers also push their feet through the side of the seat in front to use the armrest.

This is incredibly disrespectful, unpleasant, and frankly disgusting, so don’t do it. The passenger in front of you has paid good money for their seat, and it’s the only bit of personal space they have on the flight, so let them enjoy it. Other passengers don’t need to smell your feet, so keep them to yourself.

Read also: World’s Most Dangerous Spots

Don’t Sit Down the Entire Flight

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Sit Down the Entire Flight — © cha_ra_la / Adobe Stock

This next must-not only applies to long-haul flights, so you don’t need to worry about it if you’re only on a flight for one or two hours. Sitting in your seat for the entire flight is a bad idea on long-haul flights, especially if you have blood circulation problems.

Remaining glued to your seat can cause bad blood circulation, which, in severe cases, can lead to thrombosis. While you should always stay in your seat when the seatbelt light is on, get up and stretch your legs when it isn’t. If possible, take a small walk down the aisle as well. If you have health issues relating to blood circulation, wearing compression socks is also a good idea.

Don’t Open the Doors Mid-Flight

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For obvious reasons, you’d have to be crazy to open the doors to a plane mid-flight. However, many flights have had to be diverted in recent years because passengers have tried to open the door. Not only can opening the door mid-flight put your safety at risk, but it also endangers the lives of everybody else on board.

Unless you want an early visit from the Grim Reaper or attention from the law, don’t go near the exit door until it’s time to get off the flight. Passengers who try to open the door of a plane face a hefty fine and up to 10 years in prison.

Don’t Eat Smelly Foods

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Eat Smelly Foods - Trat Thailand — © Chay / Adobe Stock

A surefire way to annoy your fellow passengers is to eat smelly food. While there’s nothing wrong with bringing your own food onto a plane, don’t pack strong-smelling foods that will leave an odor looming over the flight for several hours. I recently sat near somebody on a flight who opened the most disgusting-smelling egg sandwiches.

Needless to say, I wasn’t very pleased that I had to sit next to that person for four hours. Trust me, your fellow passengers will thank you for packing stink-free sandwiches and snacks. Aside from eggs, other foods you should avoid eating on a plane include tuna, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Broccoli might sound innocent enough, but it smells awful on an aircraft.

Don’t Play Audio Without Headphones

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Play Audio Without Headphones — © BullRun / Adobe Stock

This is another must-not I’ve encountered on several flights. There’s no denying that long-haul flights can be tedious, and listening to music or watching programs can make time pass quicker. However, you should never play audio on a plane if you don’t have headphones.

Playing music or your favorite shows out loud is an excellent way to annoy your fellow passengers. No matter how good your show or music is, other passengers don’t want to hear it. With this in mind, always carry a pair of headphones or ask the flight attendants if you can purchase a pair. Besides, complimentary headphones are often handed out at the start of long-haul flights.

Don’t Decline a Complimentary Beverage

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Decline a Complimentary Beverage - Naples — © Ekaterina Pokrovsky / Adobe Stock

On a plane, it can be tempting to decline a complimentary drink because you don’t want to get up and go to the lavatory. In all truth, I’ve done the same thing. However, I always regret it afterward, so don’t be like me. Having a drink and going to the toilet during the flight is much more beneficial.

Why? Because plane cabin air is notoriously dry. As such, your body loses moisture quickly, leading to a dry mouth and dehydration. Therefore, having a drink on the plane rehydrates you and prevents dry mouth, which makes your mouth feel like sandpaper. You’ll feel much more comfortable when you land if you have a drink.

Don’t Eat Food After It Falls on Your Tray Table

12 Things Not To Do on a Plane Eat Food After it Falls on Your Tray Table — © Pitcher / Adobe Stock

Unfortunately, if you drop some food onto your tray table, it’s time to say goodbye to it. While it can be tempting to follow the 5-second rule, eating off your tray table is a big mistake because they’re often riddled with bacteria.

A Today Show investigation found that plane tray tables carry the highest level of harmful bacteria on a plane. To make matters worse, a flight attendant revealed that she’d seen parents change their babies on the tray tables. If that’s not enough to put you off eating food that’s fallen on your tray table, we don’t know what is. We don’t like to waste food, but this is an exception.